


Should've Been Me

by justkindaherechilling



Series: Voltron One Shots [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: During Canon, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Keith/Lance (Voltron)-centric, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Random & Short, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Soft Keith/Lance (Voltron), This Is STUPID
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29268624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justkindaherechilling/pseuds/justkindaherechilling
Summary: This is the first time I've ever really written anything in canon (setting wise at least) and it was pretty fun. Basically I miss my boys dearly and just wanted to write something short and random.
Relationships: Keith & Lance (Voltron)
Series: Voltron One Shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162919
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Should've Been Me

Something was off. Keith couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was off.

It was setting him on edge. “This doesn’t feel right.” He finally managed.

The rest of the paladins paused at his words. Eyes scanned the dense, rocking area surrounding them. “Nothing is happening.” Pidge said. Looked at the data that scrolled in front of her eyes, “We should be grateful. Haven’t had this much free time in months.”

Keith shook his head. Made his way over to Lance. “What do you think?”

Lance’s blue eyes held the same wary tint as Keith’s. They took in everything around them, “Its too quiet. I don’t like it.”

“Yeah, me either.” Gotta hand it to his right hand man, they agreed on everything. “We should get going.”

Allura’s head whipped to face them, “No! We only just arrived! And those Altean radio signals had to be coming from somewhere on this planet!”

“We can continue to scan the planet from the castle. Its too big to continue to do on foot like this.”

“Then we spilt up.” Allura crossed her arms over her chest, “It will go faster.”

“Absolutely not.” Keith sent a message up to the castle. “Coran is waiting for us. We need to get back to Black.”

Allura was starting to grate on Keith’s patience. Ever since they heard those Altean blips over the scanners yesterday she’s been frantic. They’d been picking up on blips like this for months now. Every single one of them lead to a dead-end. She insisted they didn’t need all the lions for this mission. So they only had Black. The rest waited up in the planets thin atmosphere. They would not be able to make a quick escape. This entire thing felt like a bomb waiting to explode. “Keith is right.” Lance briefly looked away from his long scope, “We’re wasting our time down here.”

Hunk nodded, put a hand on Allura’s shoulder, “The castle told us this planet has been inhabited for thousands of years. You can’t really think we’ll find anything here.”

She looked between all her teammates. Frustration grew behind those blue eyes. Keith sighed inwardly. Its not like he didn’t understand where she was coming from. He did. Ever since he found out about his Galran heritage he wanted answers. To find others like him. Of course Allura wanted to find more of her people. But now she was willing to put the team at risk and that’s where Keith had to draw the line. “Then I’ll summon Blue and we will search on our own.”

“Allura!” Keith felt his voice climb in volume. And in anger. “What can you do with Blue that we can’t do in the castle?”

Lance was behind him then. Putting a hand on his shoulder. “We should get back to Black.”

They met eyes. Keith grit his teeth, then nodded. “We’re going. That’s an order.” The last bit was directed at Allura. Fury blazed behind her eyes. And God did Keith understand that all consuming anger. He fought against it everyday. Luckily he didn’t have to deal with it alone anymore. Lance was always there. Silent, strong.

Keith glanced over at him now. He was speaking quietly to Allura. Not really looking at her, but through her. Things had been weird with those two lately. It was stressing Keith out. And he couldn’t figure out why. Shaking his head he turned back to the issue at hand. The march back to Black should be easy enough. But they needed to move quickly. “Let’s go.”

The team crept back through the rocky valley they had been searching in. A terrible spot. No visible view points for them; too many for an enemy Keith was sure lingered in the shadows. He felt his nostrils flare. The hair on the back of his neck stood.

He turned his eyes backward. A stray rock tumbled down the canyon walls. _Shit._

“Move. _Now.”_ He hissed through grit teeth. The team heard the urgency in his voice. They doubled their speed.

And all hell broke loose.

All at once they were taking fire from all sides. They couldn’t see the people shooting at them. But they were everywhere. “Put up your blast shields!” Keith screamed. The team obeyed. Hunk helped Pidge along, protecting the smallest teammate. Allura flew easily over the rocks and other obstacles in her path.

And Lance… he was deadly. Beautifully efficient. One by one he began to pick off the snipers. Keith couldn’t even see them. Lance did. His face never broke. It was a mask of concentration. Keith stumbled over a rock. Lance noticed. Yanked on Keith’s elbow and sent him back on his way. “Keep moving!” He shouted.

He managed to blush in the middle of a fucking battlefield. Black was nearby. He could see the cockpit from here. “Last push!”

The fire increased the closer they got to the lion. Of course it did. Whoever was after them knew it was their only means of escape. Keith stood his ground, shield up. Waited as his teammates slowly picked their way into Black’s cockpit. “Lance! Come on!”

Lance turned back to look at Keith. It was only a second. One fucking second. Something much bigger than a single blaster hit the ground in front of Lance. A small missile by the looks of it. The ground in front of the red paladin erupted, sending rock and dirt flying through the air. Lance’s line of vision was ruined. It seemed every available blaster suddenly turned on him.

“Lance!” Keith screamed. He stumbled forward, only for someone to catch his arm. He whipped his head around. Allura had a hold of his arm. Was trying to drag him back to into the cockpit. “Let go of me! Lance is in trouble!”

His eyes went back to Lance. He was on the ground now, shield up as he tried to protect his face. “Keith go!”

“No!” Keith desperately tried to shake his arm free, “Not without you!” He reached out a hand, “I’m not leaving you here!”

Another rain of fire fell down around them. Keith felt blaster strikes hit him in the legs and arms. It was nothing compared to what Lance was taking. But he reached out his hand. And their fingers were so fucking close.

And then a small missile hit Lance directly in the back. Sent him straight to the ground. _“Lance!”_

Before he could react Keith was sent flying backward. Into Black’s cockpit. Allura was just behind him. Black took off in the next second. Without Lance. Lance was still out there. “What are you fucking doing?” Keith screamed. Got right up into Allura’s space, “Lance is still out there!”

Keith heard a roar in the distance. Scrambling forward he grabbed hold of his pilots chair. A glint. A flash of bright red. The tiniest bit of relief flooded through his system. Red. Thank god. She would get Lance. But he was hurt. He just took a missile right to the back. Their paladin armor could take a lot of damage, but not that much.

His fury reignited. He turned back to Allura. Took shaking steps back toward her. “What in the hell was the meaning of that?”

“We were being surrounded… a minute more we would not have been able to take off…”

“I don’t care!” Keith didn’t care that he was screaming. Knew his eyes had to be glowing. Fangs popping. He couldn’t help it. Always got that way when he was truly beyond angry. “You were just going to leave Lance there! I was so close! If you had given me a second…”

Hunk grabbed around Keith’s waist. Physically picked him up and turned him around. “Red has him. We have him.”

Keith panted. Put his hands on his eyes and coughed. Every single muscle in his body was tense. He was so fucking angry. And worried. Red had swooped in last second, as she was prone to do. She was faster than Black. She would be at the castle before he was.

“Keith, I am sorry… but the rest of the team was at risk…”

“Don’t!” He kept his eyes turned to the floor. He was only now realizing his Galra traits were scaring Allura. He was pissed off at her right now, but the last thing she needed were reminded of the people that tormented her all her life, “Don’t fucking speak to me right now.”

Keith flew out of Black’s cockpit before the lion had fully landed. Ripped off his helmet and let it crash to the ground. Started sprinting toward Red’s hanger. Ignored the rest of the team yelling behind him.

Coran met him halfway. The older Altean was moving just as fast as Keith. “What ever happened?”

“Surprise attack!” Keith yelled over his shoulder. In the next second he was in Red’s hanger. The lion opened her mouth as soon as she saw Keith. Lowered her jaw to the ground. Lance wasn’t moving. The back of his armor was blackened. Charred. Keith couldn’t see his face. “Lance!”

As carefully as he could manage he grabbed Lance from the lion. Took off his helmet. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth. Keith watched desperately for any sign of life. There. There it was. The smallest inhale and exhale. And he was moving again. Past Coran. “We need a healing pod, now!”

The rest of the paladins had finally caught up to Keith. Hunk was crying. Pidge was speaking, too fast and too high for Keith to make out. Allura was silent. Took in Lance with wide eyes. Keith didn’t speak. Moved as fast as he dared with the broken boy in his arms.

Coran beat Keith to the infirmary wing. Pressed all the proper buttons and a healing pod slowly slid from the floor. “We need to take off his armor.” Keith noticed then that Coran’s hands were shaking. The man never said it aloud, but he cared deeply for Lance. More than any of the other paladins.

“We can’t. We don’t know what kind of injuries he has. We could make it worse.” Keith ever so carefully moved Lance from his arms and into the healing pod. He slammed his hand against the button to close it. The two stood and waited anxiously. Finally the pod began to beep. Diagnostics slowly filled Coran’s screen. His face paled. “What? What is it?”

“We are lucky you got him here when you did.” Coran would not say more.

Keith backed up a few steps. Glanced down at his armor. Lance’s blood smeared across the chest plate. His hands began to shake. His vision blurred. He couldn’t tell if it was simply nerves or tears. He heard footsteps behind him. “Is he going to be ok?” Hunk asked.

There were no words in Keith’s mouth. He let Coran do the talking. The words wouldn’t focus. His ears rang. Lance almost died. Again. His head fell forward. He had to squat so he wouldn’t fall over.

A hand landed on his shoulder. Keith managed to look up. _Shiro._ He was back on his feet. Threw his arms around Shiro’s neck. “I knew it was a trap… if I had only…”

“Don’t.” Shiro’s voice was soft; “You can’t do that to yourself.”

“Lance almost _died_ because I made the wrong call!”

Shiro pushed Keith back. Placed steadying hands on both of the shorter boys shoulders, “Don’t. He’s here now. The healing pod will do its work. The castle is already several systems away.”

Keith took a shuddering breath. Nodded. Shiro patted his cheek. “Come on. Let’s get you out of that armor.”

He didn’t look at the healing pod. He couldn’t. He would come back later. Maybe then he could try to deal with the feelings spiraling up through his gut. “Keith I…” Allura had taken off her helmet. It hung limply from one hand, “I am so sorry.”

And Keith snapped. “Sorry for what, Allura? Sending us on another fool’s errand? Demanding that we stay on that planet when we all knew something was up?” The rest of the team looked on his shock. But Keith couldn’t stop. “And you were so willing to leave Lance behind, after everything he’s done for you? For the team? Where would we be without Lane, huh?”

“Keith I…”

“No!” Keith ran his hands into his hair. Yanked until he could feel the pull, “You’ve been treating Lance like shit for _months!_ And for what? He’s only ever done what he thought was best for you! He hasn’t thought about himself from the second he met you! And what do you do? String him along, feed him a bunch of bullshit to keep him complacent!” Allura’s eyes widened. She had started to cry. Keith had too. When did that start? He pointedly ignored the tears clinging to his jaw.

“How many times has Lance risked his life for you, huh? How many times have we all almost died to protect you? And I get it, ok? You’re a princess. One of the last of the Altean’s. Its our job to keep you safe. But when have you ever fucking returned the favor for one of us? Especially Lance? After all he’s done and you were ready to leave him. Over nothing!”

“Keith.” Shiro was at his side. Gripped hard enough at his shoulder that Keith felt it through his armor.

Keith inhaled sharply. Choked on a sob. “Next time we get one of those fucking blips we stay far as hell away from the planet. We’ll send in drones. But we not stepping foot on another one of those planets ever again. Understood?”

Allura nodded. Coran came up behind her. Rubbed soothingly at the back of her neck. But no one had said anything in her defense. The sadistic part of Keith’s brain rejoiced in this. The rational part of him already regretted the things he had said. They were true, of course, but Allura didn’t deserve them thrown in her face like. “I’m sorry.” He bit out. Then he stalked from the room. He didn’t look back.

***

Shiro gave him an hour. Let him polish and re-polish his armor.

“That was quite the display.”

“I know, ok? I’m a fucking asshole. Not like its news to anyone.”

“I’m not really that surprised.” Shiro sat down next to Keith, picked up his helmet and ran a cloth over it. “But I think there was a lot more that you _didn’t_ say.”

Keith stopped his angry polishing. Bit his lip. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“You care about your team. Its only natural when one of them goes through the wringer.” Shiro carefully catalogued Keith’s reaction. Then he said, “But the rest of the team isn’t Lance.”

He swallowed. Felt tears come back to his eyes. Shiro was right. He loved his team. Of course he did. The seven of them had been through hell and back. And this godforsaken war seemed like it would never end. But Keith would do anything to ensure they would all make it out of his alive.

But Lance… just when had he become so fucking important to Keith? Hell it used to be that they couldn’t stand one another. Lance was cocky. So full of himself. Flirted too much and never thought about the consequences.

But he had grown on Keith. Slowly. Over the years. Especially after they lost Shiro. Keith didn’t think he could function without his brother. Lance was there. Steady as a rock. Unwavering with his support and trust. No one else on the team thought Keith could lead Voltron. Keith hadn’t even thought it. Lance helped him believe. And together they had weathered the storm.

When Keith had been away with the blade he thought about Lance. Every day. It was so much harder being away from him than Keith thought it would be. But he had done the asshole thing and left the team behind. Because he let the doubt get the better of him. Talked himself into believing he was a monster and didn’t deserve to be with Voltron anymore.

And then when he came back it all went to shit so fast. He and Lance had never gotten to talk things out. And Lotor and everything and god… it had all weathered Lance down. He hardly ever smiled. He was too serious. Things festered in his mind and he never spoke on them.

Keith wasn’t stupid. He knew that it hurt Lance to watch Allura with Lotor. Because he was in love with the princess. Had been for a long time. And she had never cared. Not even for a second. And it made Keith so fucking _mad._ Because Lance deserved the universe. No more, no less.

He just wasn’t quite sure when he fell in love with Lance. That bit was a little harder to pinpoint. “I love him, Shiro.” Keith whispered. Let the tears come freely.

“Oh Keith. I know.”

“I don’t know when it happened! And I feel so fucking stupid because he wants _her_. Not me. And she treats him like such shit. It hurts so bad.”

He let Shiro pull him into a hug. And he cried into the older mans shirt for a long time. When he finally pulled away his eyes were puffy. Throat sore.

“I never told you about what happened with me and Adam, did I?”

“What?”

Shiro grinned darkly, “It happened right before I left. He was convinced it was a stupid idea. What with my condition and all. And I was younger and full of vindictive fury. We fought horribly. He told him that if I went I shouldn’t expect to find him waiting for me when I got back.”

“Jesus…”

“I can’t really say that I blame him.” It was Shiro’s turn to go misty eyed, “And I miss him so much I fell like the ache in my chest will never go away. And when we get back… _if_ we get back I don’t know if I should go looking for him or not.”

Keith reached out and put a hand on Shiro’s knee. “Shiro…”

“Its fine.” Shiro wiped at his eyes. Turned them to the floor, “What I’m getting at is… don’t waste your chance. Tell him. You might not get another chance.”

Keith went quiet. Looked at his hands. Finally nodded. “Ok.”

Shiro stood. Ruffled Keith’s hair, “Just follow your passions. You’ve always been good at that.”

***

Hours later Keith sat next to Lance’s healing pod. Forehead pressed against the cool glass. It had taken awhile but Lance’s condition finally stabilized. Internal bleeding. Broken bones. Brain damage. The worst injuries seen by anyone on the team. But he was going to make it. It would be a long road but Lance would be ok.

The relief was too great to handle. When Coran had told Keith he went to his room and sobbed for an hour. And now he was here. Would probably sit here until the healing pod finally released the red paladin.

Keith spoke. A whisper in the darkness, “I can’t do this without you. Don’t you even think about leaving me.”

“Oh.”

Keith started. Pulled his head away from the glass. Allura stood hesitantly in the doorway. “I’ll go…”

“No. No its ok.” Keith pulled his knees to his chest. Looked at the floor. Listened to Allura’s quiet footsteps. She sat on the opposite side of the pod. They didn’t speak for a long while. “I am sorry.” Keith said eventually, “For the things that I said.”

“I’m not angry.” Allura whispered, “Because you were right.”

“No, I said a lot of stuff that I shouldn’t have…”

“Oh Keith please. We both know you never say anything without meaning every word.” She smiled bitterly, “This entire time… all these years. I have put Lance in pain.”

Keith didn’t know what to say. So instead he pressed his forehead back to the glass. Hoped for a cool head. And the princess continued, “I am aware of his affections for me. Of course I am. But we are at war. I thought it would be foolish to pursue anything. So I ignored him. And what good did it do?”

“Did you love Lotor?”

Allura swallowed thickly. “Yes. I still do. Even though I’m still so mad at him. But I understand. I do. We are under the same pressures. From our dead fathers at that.”

“I’m sorry.”

She managed a shrug, “We’ll get him back one day. We have to. I love him too much to leave him under Honvera’s control.” She looked at Keith, “I do not know why I did what I did today. Leaving Lance behind like that. I got scared. There was so much happening all at once. And we need you Keith. You’re still the leader of Voltron.”

“I know.”

“I should’ve gone back for him. I could’ve.”

“Its too late to sit around and regret things now.” Keith wrung his hands together, “He’s going to be ok. Corn told me as much.”

“Thank the gods.”

Silence once again fell. Each lost in their thoughts. After a long while Allura stood. Stretched out her legs and shoulders. “It is late.”

“Sure is.”

She watched him. Moved to a cupboard and pulled out a blanket. Came back and wrapped it around his shoulders. Kissed the top of his head. “Good night, Keith.”

“Good night, Allura.”

***

It had been a week. Seven whole days. And Lance still wasn’t awake. Coran said to be patient.

Keith wasn’t patient. Never had been. He was going crazy.

The rest of the team had given him a wide berth. Right now he was easy to outbursts and anger. Spent a lot of time on the training floor. He pulled a muscle in his shoulder yesterday. Got it fixed up and went right back to training.

He hadn’t been sleeping much. Or eating much. Or doing anything but worry. Felt like his head would explode. He had to keep moving. Or he would start to think. And thinking was a bad idea right now. Because he would think of Lance dying. And it gave him nightmares.

Keith ended a training simulation and fell on the floor. Sweat poured from his brow. In a huff he pulled his hair back from his face. Wound it tightly at the base of his neck. God he couldn’t remember the last time he was wound this tight. Probably the first time Shiro went missing.

He had been used to not feeling this way.

God he needed Lance back.

He was about to stand to start another sequence when his communicator pinged. “God, what?”

Pidge cackled on the other end, “Morning sunshine! Just thought I should let you know Lance is awake.”

Keith stood. His voice pitched up an octave when he grated out, “What?”

Pidge kept laughing, “He woke up like five minutes ago. Get your ass down here.”

Ending the transmission Keith sprinted from the training floor. Skidded and crashed into a wall. Ignored the stinging in his still healing shoulder. Ran faster than he ever had in his life.

By the time he got down to the infirmary the rest of the team had gathered. Someone had helped Lance from his armor. It lay discarded on the floor. Hunk was swinging Lance around in a hug. Everyone spoke at once. It dimmed out completely when he finally met Lance’s eyes.

Hunk put Lance down. He stared at Keith.

Flying forward Keith pulled Lance to him. Buried his face in Lance’s neck. _“Lance…”_

Lance laughed lightly. Hugged Keith back just as hard. “Hey.”

Distantly Keith heard Shiro whispering for everyone to give the two boys a private moment. Keith pulled back. Took Lance in. Dark circles that could’ve passed as bruises clung to his eyes. His cheeks looked hallowed out. Empty. He looked so exhausted. Keith couldn’t stand it. “You scared the hell out of us.”

“Sorry.” Lance winced a bit and pulled back. “Sorry.” He said again.”

Keith nearly jumped a foot backward. “God no… I didn’t, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Its ok.” Lance cracked his neck, “Everything just kinda… hurts.”

Keith eyed the skintight bodysuit the paladins wore beneath their armor. “Can I?”

“Sure.” Lance was trying to keep his voice light, “Hunk said I’ve been out for a week. I could probably use a shower.”

Moving up behind the red paladin Keith slowly unzipped the suit. His eye twitched every time Lance flinched in pain. Together they worked the suit away from Lance’s shoulders. Keith was horrified to find Lance’s back and sides covered in dark bruises. The healing pod had done its work on Lance’s inside, but his outsides still bore the evidence of what happened to him.

Lance snorted, “Do I look that bad?”

“No! Sorry, I just…” Keith pulled his hands away from Lance’s hips, “Just surprised is all.”

“It must’ve been pretty bad.”

“You don’t remember?”

Lance sighed and turned to face Keith. He was too thin. Looked like his skin was hanging from his bones. “Some of it. I remember the ambush. And trying to get to Black. And you. Reaching for my hand.” Lance was staring down at his hands. They shook slightly.

Without thinking Keith reached out and took those hands. Lance was in need of a shower. And good meal. Days of sleep. But god, he had never looked more beautiful. Because he was alive. Here. Breathing and talking. “I am so sorry.”

Quirking a brow he said, “What?”

“I didn’t get to you in time!”

“You didn’t?”

Keith shook his head. “Red got to you first.”

Lance smiled brightly at the mention of his lion. “I’ll have to go see her later.”

Swallowing Keith reached up and touched Lance’s cheek with a thumb. Lance started a bit but did not pull away. “I thought I lost you.”

“You didn’t.” He grinned, “I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

They stared at one another. Blue delving into deep purple. Time seemed to stand still. “Lance I… there are so many things I want to say.”

“I’ll listen.”

“I know you will. And that’s what scares me.”

“What are you getting at, Keith?”

“I love you!” He blurted out. He watched Lance’s eyes widen. The shock in those blue eyes. Keith dropped his hands and backed up by a few steps. “God I suck. I wanted to say that differently. Better. But I suck.”

“Keith.”

“But I do! I don’t know when it started. And I know its probably the last thing you want to hear right now. Because I’m fucking everything up.”

Lance smirked a bit, “Keith…”

“But I almost lost you! I sat there and watched you almost _die_ and I couldn’t do anything about it! And it nearly destroyed me!”

“Keith.” Lance was suddenly at his side.

“I just thought I should tell you… you know. I should get it off my chest! Because I might never get another opportunity!”

“Keith.”

“And I do. I love you Lance and it’s tearing me up inside…”

And then Lance was kissing him. Got up into Keith’s space and pushed him back. _Kissing him_. Keith blinked. His hands shook, and then landed on Lance’s neck. He didn’t know what else to do. So he kissed Lance back.

They stood there for god knows how long. Drinking one another in. Allowing themselves the rare luxury of coming to know one another in this new way. When they finally pulled away Keith was crying. “God, I’m so sorry. I suck.”

Lance chuckled a bit. Wiped his thumbs under Keith’s eyes, “Say it again.”

Keith blinked. Smiled hesitantly. “I love you, Lance.”

He closed his eyes at that. Leaned his forehead against Keith’s. “Again.”

“I love you.”

Then they were laughing. And kissing again. God it was so good. It felt so right. Lance smelled like metal. Tasted like vanilla. He ran his fingers up into Lance’s hair. It was thicker than Keith had imagined.

They ended up on the floor. Legs tangled up together. Lance had his forehead leaned against Keith’s shoulder. Keith’s fingers traced light patterns over Lance’s back. “We should get you to bed.” Keith whispered. He could tell Lance was exhausted. He struggled to keep his eyes open.

“Hm.”

Keith chuckled. Helped Lance back onto his feet.

“I wanna shower first.”

“Ok.”

They moved quietly through the castle. They didn’t run into anyone else. The team was giving them space. Keith was grateful. He wanted Lance all to himself right now. He was going to keep moving down the hall to Lance’s room but the red paladin stopped. In front of Keith’s door. “Lance?”

“I uh… I wanna stay. Here. With you.”

A blush worked onto Keith’s cheeks. Up to his ears. “Oh. Um- alright.”

Keith stood awkwardly in his room. Ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Oh um. The shower is all yours. I’ll wait here…”

Lance grinned wickedly. “You could join me.”

Again Keith was struck into speechlessness. He hadn’t expected Lance to return his affections. Or be this bold about this kinda stuff. “Really?”

“Mhm.” It was Lance’s turn to blush, “And honestly I don’t think I can get this suit off by myself.”

“Oh.”

“God, Keith. Come on.” Lance laughed and pulled him forward, “I’m losing my mind over here, alright? Keith motherfucking Kogane just told me he loves me. And I’m trying to get you in the shower with me. So play along, ok?”

Keith blinked. “Ok.”

***

A long while later Keith settled into bed and gently pulled Lance to his chest. He groaned a bit. Fussed about until he was full comfortable. Keith swallowed past the lump in his throat. The bruises had darkened and yellowed in the short hours Lance had been free of the healing pod. Tersely Keith whispered, “It should’ve been me.”

Lance looked up at him. Yanked hard on one of Keith’s earlobes. “It doesn’t matter now though, does it? Because I’m going to be fine. Red got to me in time. You got me to a healing pod before it was too late. We don’t even have to think about it anymore if we don’t want to.”

“You’re ridiculous.” Keith managed.

“Hm. Probably.” Lance settled more firmly in Keith’s arms. It went wonderfully silent. Keith thought Lance asleep. “Keith. I love you too.”

Keith blinked. Looked up at the ceiling above them. Felt tears gather in his eyes. “I hadn’t said it yet.” Lance whispered. His fist clenched tight on Keith’s chest. “I didn’t want you to misunderstand…”

“No, its ok. I didn’t need you to.”

Lance sat up just a bit. Grimaced as he did. “Keith. I know you. And it was stressing you out. I’m sorry. You deserve to hear it.”

Keith did grin then. One of the brightest and truest he’d ever felt. “You really do?”

“Yes.” Lance laid his head back against Keith’s shoulder; “Have for a long time now.”

“That’s incredible.”

Lance snorted. “I guess. I feel stupid about it now. We would’ve saved ourselves a lot of trouble.”

“Do you mind if I ask how long?”

“No.” Lance traced his fingers over the scar on Keith’s shoulder, “I’ve always been fascinated by you. Ever since I met you at the Garrison. Back before you even knew my name. I thought you were fascinating. One of the best pilots I’d ever seen. Aside from Shiro.”

“Of course.”

“And you were such a _dick_ back then.” Lance laughed. Grabbed at Keith’s hand and kissed his knuckles, “And right when I thought I might be making some progress you just disappeared off the face of the Earth.”

“Hm. That was after Shiro went missing.”

“I didn’t really get the connection between you two back then. I remember being mad. Because this stupid pilot with his ridiculous mullet was just gone. Seemed kinda like fate when Blue brought us back together.” Lance sighed heavily. “And then we got caught up in a war. And we were just a bunch of kids. We didn’t have time to think about petty rivalries or dumb crushes.”

“Crushes?”

“Yes, Keith. Crushes. I had such a stupid crush on you back at the Garrison.”

“Oh.” That brought a blush back to Keith’s face. Found he couldn’t look at the boy sprawled across his lap. “I did too. Not that it means anything now.”

“Wait. Wait, wait.” Lance sat up fully. Ignored the pain rippling through his body. “You had a crush on me back then too?”

“Uh, yes?”

“Jesus Christ.” Lance ran a hand through his hair. “That’s insane!”

“It is?”

“Yes!” Lance gently slapped at Keith’s cheeks, “I didn’t think you even knew my name!”

Keith grinned. Pulled on Lance’s chin. Kiss him lightly, “Of course I knew your name. You were a pain in my ass.”

They laughed together for a bit. Found one another’s lips. It was intoxicating. Keith couldn’t get enough. He couldn’t believe this was how his life was turning out. Lance snuggled back up against Keith’s side. And Keith finally asked the one question he had been dreading, “Do you, uh, is Allura still…”

“Hm. No. I loved her for a long time. She’s incredible. I always thought so. And it hurt so badly when she rejected me. But I didn’t realize how much you meant to me until you left for the Blades. We had been working so well together and you just… left.”

“I’m so sorry.” Keith whispered. It still hurt to talk about. Embarrassed him to think on his past mistakes like this. “I didn’t know what else to do. And you were so worried about your own place on the team. With Shiro back I didn’t really see another option.”

“You left, because of me?”

“Not because of you. For you.”

“Oh.” Lance paused. Then his eyes filled with tears, “You see, you asshole. This is why I love you. So fucking selfless. Even if it is misguided.”

“Hm.” Keith kissed at Lance’s forehead. “She wants to get Lotor back.”

Lance smirked. “I’m not surprised. It’s not gunna be easy.”

“No. It won’t.”

“God help me if I don’t wanna help her.”

“Same here.” He stroked his hands through Lance’s hair. “Now go to sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”

“Hmm.” Lance closed his eyes. His breathing evened out. “I love you, Keith.”

Keith’s heart swelled with emotion. God it felt so damn good. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to it. “I love you too.”

***

When Lance woke the next morning he was stiff, sore and starving. “Keith. Keith, wake up.”

Keith groaned. Refused to open his eyes. “Its too damn early.”

Lance giggled, “How would you even know?”

“I just know.”

“Come on, please? I’m starving. I haven’t eaten in like, a week!”

Keith peeled his eyes open. Lance took up his entire field of vision. God he was so fucking beautiful. His blue eyes snapped once more and a grin came easily to his face. “How do you have so much fucking energy?”

“I’ve been out of it for a week Keithy boy. Let me live a little.” Lance leaned down. Kissed Keith into the mattress. “Get your ass up. I need food.”

After another twenty minutes of grumbling, kissing and helping each other into clothes they stumbled into the mess. The rest of the team were already there. “Lance!” Hunk cried joyfully. He was at Lance’s side in a flash. Gently pulled him into a hug. “God its good to see you.”

“Yeah, you too buddy.”

Pidge glanced at them over her glasses. Smirked into her coffee. “Good for you.” She said.

“What?” Keith asked, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“You idiots finally told each other, right?”

“Oh.” Keith and Lance glanced at each other. Blushed to their ears. Pidge cackled at their expense.

“They did it! Hunk you owe twenty bucks.”

Hunk groaned and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

Keith felt his brow furrow, “Wait. You two had a bet?”

“Of course we did oh mighty leader!” Pidge swung over to Keith’s side. Planted a messy kiss on his cheek. “I’m glad you two finally wised up.”

Shiro slapped Keith on the back. “Good job little bro.”

Keith sputtered. Blushed. Kept looking at the floor. Was he that transparent? Lance was back at his side. Grabbed at his hand. “Should’ve almost died a bit sooner, huh?”

The team laughed and Keith buried his head in Lance’s shoulder. Didn’t know he could ever feel this happy. When next he looked up he met Allura’s eyes. She watched them both with a sad smile on her face. Keith just shrugged. He didn’t know what to say. So he didn’t speak.

After a while Lance touched Allura’s shoulder. Spoke softly in her ear. They got up and left the mess. Keith clenched his hands around his cup. “Hey.” Pidge touched his hand, “Don’t worry. They need closure. Don’t want stuff to fester.”

“Yeah I know. Just feels weird.”

“So…” Hunk messed with his headband, “Are you two actually together? For real?”

Keith smiled in spite of it all, “Yeah. We are.”

“For the long run?”

“If he’ll have me.”

Hunk nodded. Wrestled with his next words, “Don’t hurt him. Not like she did. He wouldn’t be able to take it if you leave him too.”

Keith watched Hunk in shocked silence for a moment. Of course he had thought about this. Impossible not to. He was terrified of standing in Allura’s shadow. “I won’t. I would never do that to him. He makes me better.”

Pidge leaned her head against Keith’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you two. I really am. You’re the best of us.”

“I love him.” Keith whispered, “More than anything.”

It was quiet for a moment. “Good.” Hunk drank the rest of his tea, “Because he’s my best friend. And I’d do anything for that idiot. And he deserves to be happy. After everything he’s been through.”

At that moment Lance and Allura returned. Both of their eyes were red. Keith could still see the tracks of tears down Lance’s face. He held out a hand and Lance returned to his side. “Ok?” He whispered in his ear.

Lance smiled, “Ok.”

***

Later that night Keith helped Lance back out of his clothes. The bruises still didn’t allow much movement. Keith leaned forward and kissed Lance’s shoulder. Beneath the bruises lay the scar tissue that took up most of Lance’s back. The explosion so early on that nearly ruined the Castle of Lions.

And nearly killed Lance. They hardly even knew Coran and Allura back then and Lance still risked his life for them. It used to confuse Keith. But as he bonded with the two Altean’s and the rest of the team he slowly realized why Lance had done it. Because he was selfless and full of pride and love for the people around him.

“Its ugly isn’t it?” Lance asked. He had been watching Keith in the mirror, “The scars, I mean.”

“No!” Keith looked up. Met those blasted blue eyes in the mirror. “I think it’s beautiful.”

“Really?” Lance’s voice was laced with skepticism.

“Of course. It shows how brave you are. Everything you were willing to risk.” Keith kissed again at Lance’s neck, “Nothing about you could ever be ugly.”

“God… I love you so much.” Lance whispered.

Keith spun Lance around to face him. “I love you too. So much.” They kissed then, and Keith forgot about everything other than Lance’s lips, his smell and the promise of their future.

**Author's Note:**

> HEYO. This is short and dumb. But I wanted to make my boys happy. I can't believe its 2021 and I'm still thinking about them. 
> 
> LMAO I forgot the Castle of Lions literally blew the fuck up at some point. (Please forgive me I've blocked like 90% of canon out of my brain) 
> 
> Also teasing Lotor redemption arch because my boy deserves BETTER. 
> 
> Hope this brightened your day a bit. I hope to start another longer work soon. I have lots of ideas.


End file.
